Automatic firearm.



Patented Dec.l8, |906. A. BURGESS. AUTOMATIC HREARM.

(Application led Sept. 5, 1899.) (No Medel.)

' 3 Sheen-Sheet l, l@ 1 j,

d, d ,n 'i v K A. BURGESS.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Patented Dsc. E8, |900.

(Application led Sept. 5, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

' nvenlw".

...NWN

k( NH 'breech-closure.

' to lock the breech.

harten STATES ANDREW B'URGESS, OF OVVEGO, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC FlREARlVl.

SEEGIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,956, dated December 18, v1900.

Application filed September 5| 1899. Serial No. '729|487. (No model.)

To Kif/Z5 Vwhom. it muy concern,.-

,Be it known that I, ANDREW BURGEss, a citizen of the United States,iesiding at Owego, county of Tioga, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic or selfactin g firearms. v

The object ot' the invention is to make automatic arms of simple construction and reliable operation; and it consists ot' devices and methods of unlocking the breech by the discharge with proper delay to then allow the later pressure to open the breech, a magazine with stop, guide, and alining feeder, a safetylock adapted to said magazine, a combined extracting and ejecting device, together with other improvements and combinations of parts, hereinafter set forth and described in connection w ith the accompanying drawings.

Figure l shows a partly-vertical longitudinal section of this arm in pistol form with parts of lock and barrel in elevation. Fg.2 is a similar View showing some parts in broken lines and the breech open. Fig. 3 is a side elevation,

vshowing part of mechanism in dotted lines.

Fig. eis a top or plan view. Fig. 5 is a crosssection through the barrel and magazine on the line af of Fig. l looking` backward, but with fewer cartridges. Fig. (5 is .another cross-section on lines y y of Fig. l. Fig. 7 shows a modification of the breech locking and unlocking device. Fig. S is another modification of same. modification as applied to a reciprocating Fig. l0 shows a side elevation of this extracting and ejecting device as applied to a reciprocating bolt, and Fig. 1l is.1

a front elevation of the same.

In the drawings, A is the frame or receiver of the arm, B the barrel, and M thevmagazine. The barrel is guided to reciprocate in the frame and make a part turn (say one-eighth) rThe locking is effected by studs or projections 3 on the barrel, which enter corresponding cuts 4 in the frame in a well-known-manne1. These locking-shoul ders, however, are made at a very high angle Fig. il shows a similar.

or pitch, so that normally the push of the 5o charge in firing would turn the` barrel to unlock it.

lVhile the resistance of the inertia of the turning barrel might under some circumstances sufiice to` hold the barrel, it would be 55 uncertain and irregular.

I pivota spring locking-catch l in the frame to engage a locking-stud 3, as shown in Figs. l and 5, to hold the barrel from turning to unlock; but an unlocking-lever 2 is bling in 6o the frame at the rear of tbc barrel. This lever has a short arm 5, which is engaged by the rear of the cartridge-shell,so that on firing said shell being forced violently back against said shortarm turns the long forward arm 2, and thereby strikes the catch l out of its engagement with the stud 3 to allow the barrel to rotate and unlock the breech. A similar unlocking-lever may be operated by the locking-stud on the barrel, as shown in 7o the modiiicationsfof Figs. 7 and 8,"to either unlock the stud, as in Fig. 8, by'a delayed action of the heavy lever 2Q, which(haVing lost motion, as before) is thrown by shock from the locking-stud 3 against the locking- 75 catch la to turn and release it or,A as in Fig. 7, (in which'the stud engages its shoulder on the frame more squarely, so that the barrel will not be pushed to rotate so easily,) to

start the barrel unlocking by a blow .from 8o the heavy long arm of the lever 2b, caused by the shock of the locking-stud against its short arm 5".

Vhen the unlocking-lever is operated by the shell against its short arm, as described,

a very slight movement suffices, and the shell may be set but little, it' any, deeper or .more loosely in its chamber than usual, or when the similar levers are operated by the lock,-

ing-stud it 'may be but slightly rearward of 9o firm engagement with its shoulder in the frame, as the elasticity of the metal in the violent shock of'liring conduces materially to throw the unlocking-lever. Auothermeans of turning the barrel is shown in Fig. 1. The bore of the barrel is shown spirally grooved or riiied in the leEt-handscrew direction, While thelocking-shoulders of the barrel have pitch in the contrai-yor right-hand Cliree tion. The trip of the barrel in ust turn tothe rightto unie-cK. l

The .projectile inslerting beers to the right on the inclined piene of the top of the grooves in the barrel with lall vthe force its inertie gives in taking the rotary m0t'ion.

While the turning force of the projectile is' too transitory to be easily imparted to eheevy barrel, with n. very light barrel and by e nicely-adjusted pitch on the locking-shoulders practical unlocking by this ineens alone may be secure l. i

To utilize thel above method of unlocking and to make the automatic opening of the breech effectivethe.sei d unlocking must be -so timed es to leave suicient pressure after the breech is unlocked to force it open end compress the1'eturn-Sp1ing5. When o slight delay is required, e litt-le lost motion of the forward heevyarm of the unlocking-lever, es shown in Figs. 'Lend 8, is provided ilo deley its moment of Striking the catch or locking-stud.

. In the modification Figui) the device` for regulating the unlocking' ie shown applied to el reciprocating bolt. Thelocking-cztteh 1l is *pivoted to the freine of theerni, es before, and the unlocking-lever 2", hee'its short erin 5c againstthe locking-stud 3, to be operated thereby to release the catch 1l end allow the bolt to be turned by residue! pressure from the-charge in the seine manner es the barrel s turned to unlock sind open in the other figures, but in the reverse direction. .It'wili be seen that the return breeeh-ielosing spring;- 6 is arranged around the borrel :ind housed in the extension ci of the ironie.

A knurled piece B is fixed to the muzzle of the barrel to serve ne e handle to move the barrel forward when it is desired to open the breech by band.

The hemmen? is hung in one side of the `renr vof. tbe freine with ite striki1ig-point bent to the center.. A reciprocating henziniier-operetingrrod 8 le else eri-enger?. in the side of Athe frame forward of the hammer end is prolvided With the spring l) to press it rearward and eprojection'l to be engaged by the sind $31011- the borrel in its former movement to press the ,ro'dEl-foifiyard, Where it may be rey tained by the seed' 1G,- es shown in Fig. 2. A linkll connects the rod 8 with the hammer b'elow its pivot, to thereby more the strilring-- top of seid hammer 'in reverse -direction to the movement of the rod 2 5.

T0 prevent pulling ofi. by the tr "ger when the breech ie unlocked, e lfoil-pin 12 is erranged vertically-in the freine, its upper' end iinpinging against the bottom offthe bei-rel' by force of the seer'epring 16 and lower end passing; thro ugh' the rear peri; of. the neer 10 into the path of movement of the trigger,

as chown in Fig. 2.

A depieseion, 14 is mede in the ybottom. of

the barrel to register with the to@ of. the pin eel-2,956 j 12, but only when the barrel is in its backwardend turned to its locked position, as shown in Figs. l and 6, when the trigger bcing no longer obstructed by said pin'itv may pull off the seal-'in the ordinary man ner, and tie meinspring 9 Will thenthrow the rod 8 beck` to strike top of the hammer forward.

The senr-springr 16 .is conveniently carried "by the lower smell port of the foil-pin to also operate seid pin, es described.

rlhe lever extractor and ejector 17 is hung,r et the eide of the hammer in the frame and hes o shoulder 18 to be-engnged by the heinnier when Striking lo force its hook over the flange of the cartridge, which-it groeps in the usuel ina-nner.

The cartridge-shell lim-ing been extracted bythe opening of the breech neer the last part of that movement, e shoulder of the heno-` mer' reaching the projection 19 on the eX- trecior-lever; turns the lever to move the extractor-hook bri-ck rearward of the cartridgeeeet on the breech to eject the sh'ell. To feet this ejection easily, :in are 2O of the cer-- iridg-ji sent is cut away, es shown in Figs. 5 and 1i, to permit the shell to turn and be lripped oiitlvard. lt will be nnderetoed tl? .t by this method the hook of' the-extreetor ie retired out or" the breech-opening'to not 'lien obstruct e ieedin cartridge.

.in tbelnodic ion oi' Figs. llflend ll, 4wliere the extractor-lever ie hung in the bolt it on ernten the seine, except that the shoulders 15?n end 19 opemting; it nre Iixcd in the freine and the lere-r is 'moved against them by the boli.

The nnigerine 'tf-is oontzrined in tbe Stoch end is provided with :t follower 21, operated ",iy e. coiled spring, to reise the cartridges egztinst the reml per: of the barrel.

ln @rose-section the nieggenine 'is subemetielly the forni ol' the cartridge, but with n.

Wiilencd center, ne shown in Fig. 5, to r;-.cco:n-` niodnte the larger diameter of the follower 'end spi-inw, which nre thereby guided.

'The widened center oli` the magazine ini-s 22 near the top to there stop 'the lower from rising into the borrel-trunk in the frame.

Vhen e feeding cartridge reaches the berrel or es high es the follower een carry it, it

must still be raised e, little 'to attain the exinl line of the bore of tbe barrel. To further reise end eline the cartridge, spring-levers ere hung on pivot 25 in lhehsldes of the freine, mid levert; having 'short e'rins 24 forwnril of the magazine long orme 23, with pivotod eonceved ends, extending beck tiene the top or" the magazine. The er'ins tre forced eport by the barrel when in its rear position,

es chown in Fig. o; but when the barrel moves lforwerd, es in Fig. 2,I thenrme 23 spring in end greep the topinost cartridge, epfl tends 25 on the barrel, then reaching the short arms, turnhe levers to raiee'rhir long enne, end thereby the cartridge within their Ioc grasp, as shown in said Fig. 2, so that when the barrel springs rearward it takes in the cartridge and at the same time presses down and apart the long arms to position for grasping another cartridge. The rocking concaved ends of the long arms of levers are to hold the feeding cartridge in nearly a horizontal position, their rear ends beingstopped and turned bythe narrowing top of the frame in rising and their forward ends lowered and leveled bytheclosingof thebarreloverthem. When there are no more cartridges in the magazine, these spring-arms insure the ejection of the shell.

To conveniently close the magazine and make more room for the spring and follower, a thick dowuwardly-extendiug hollow cover 26 is fitted to the opening and provided with bow-spring 27 with ends to springinto the opening above abutments 28 28 at the lower end of the magazine',to thereby hold the cover 26 in place. The spring 27 has fingerholds 29 29, by which it can be grasped to compress it aud retire its ends from their engagement with the shoulders 28 28. Acatch 30 is also A'arranged in the magazine-cover to engage Amd hold the follower down in the cover 26 when this part is carried separate from the arm, but the said catch is released from the follower by act of insertion of the cover, as Shown in Fig. l. Y

The magazine-cover may be attached to a removable pocket'fitting the magazineftrunk to carry. the cartridges. Thsformsa convenient loading-pocket for insertion and to remain in the magazine until empty.

A spring-barrel catch 31 is pivoted inthe frame with a finger-piece 32 projecting rearward of the trigger in position to be grasped at will by the second finger when firing. When said catch is thus held ont of action, the barrel will return by force of its spring 6 whenever thrown forward; but by releasing the finger from this catch it springs up to hold the barrel forward at every discharge, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the catch must be pulled to release it before the barrel can return and the trigger pulled to release the sear. The oil-pin 33 maybe used to render the catch 31 inoperative.

In the drawings I show the invention in the construction of a pistol; but itis applicable also to shoulder-guns and artillery, and

I do not confine my claims to the construe-- tion shown, but claim the various modifications and constructions to which knowledge of the art and mechanical skill adapt it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 'Patent-i "1. In a firearm, a barrel, a frame holding a breech abutment to resist the cartridge, .means for locking the barrel by a turning movement, a swinging lever hung in the frame, -having a short arm engaged in the act of firing, to throw the long arm of said leverv against the locking parts to release the breech, all arranged as described, whereby the remaining pressure of the charge will open the breech, all in combination and with areturnspring to close the breech.

2. In a firearm, a frame, a barrel housed to reciprocate therein, locking-shoulders on the barrel and in the frame to make engagement Aby the turning of the barrel, but so slanting in pitch as not to lock barrel firmly; in. combination with a catch to hold such shoulders locked, and a lever operated by movement from the shock of the discharge to release said catch.

8. In a firearm, the frame, a fixed breech--4 locking shoulder therein, a lever hung in the frame in proximity to said shoulder, a movable part of 1the arm with shoulder to lock against the said shoulder in the frame, a short arm of the lever obtaining against the shoulder on the movable part to throw the lever 'by shock from said part in `firing to start the unlocking of the breech, all in combination substantially as described.

4. In the lock of a firearm, a hammer hung rearward of the barrel in the frame with a striking end above its pivot, an extension below its pivot, an actuating-rod connected to said extension, a reciprocating barrel having a shoulder to Aforce forward said rod and a spring to return said rod, all in combination, and with a sear to-hold and release the rd substantially as set forth.

5. In a firearm provided with-reciprocating parts to open and close the breech, and having a cartridge-seat to resist the rearward movement of the shell, and an arc or section of said seat cut away, in combination with an extractor having a hook to engage the cartridge-f1ange, and means to force said hook forward, and means to retire said hook backward to thereby trip the shell, substantially as specified.

6. In a magazine-firearm, a reciprocating barrel, a magazine with a spring to feed the cartridges upward, as described, in combination with levers to grasp the top cartridge and engagingv means on the barrel and levers whereby said levers are raised by the movement of the barrel.

7. `In a magazine-firearm, a frame, abarrel reciprocating in the frame, a magazine debonching into the hollow of the frame rearward of thebarrel, when said barrel is in forward position, in combination with levers ac- IOO IIO

scribed, having an opening at the bottom and shoulders therein, in combination with a hollow projecting cover and a bow-spring whose ends engage said sho tilders to retain the cover in place and finger-holds to release it.

9. The magazine with followers aud spiral spring guided as described, and the hollow downward-projecting covcr, and a catch to while the rst p nlls the trigger, substantially hold the follower and spring Within thc holas speciiied. l

low of the cover, all oombincdas sot forth. Witness my hand this lst day of Septem- 10. In an automatic firearm, a barrel arber, 1899.

5 ranged to be moved forward by the discharge,

in combination with a catch to hold said bar- Witnesses:

rel forward and a projection from said catch THEO. L. POPE,

in position to be grasped by the second finger F. F. `SGHE'RZINGER.

ANDRE WT BURGESS. 

